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UM, NO. Here's the OP again for those who attended Zoolander's School for Kids Who Don't Read Good:

Just want to get some opinions. There have been a good deal of people moving here for a while now. With the housing markets in many cities getting ready to die a painful death, do you guys think even MORE people will be moving here to North Carolina??? NC has gotten a lot of press as a great place to live. Add in people's getting burned in a housing bubble that will pop over the next 18 months. Won't there be an accelerating number of people moving here from Florida and even California once the credit crunch and housing markets really start to deflate???

The question is about housing's effect on the influx of people, not about what you think about defining an urban area and the counting of people in said areas.

"Annexation is the methodical extension of a city's boundaries into adjacent unincorporated areas, and the corresponding extension of that city's services to the areas encompassed by the new boundaries. In North Carolina, annexation is governed by state statutes that allow cities and towns to annex adjacent areas, once those areas contain certain urban development characteristics (population density, subdivision of land into smaller lots, development intensity). Annexation has enabled Charlotte's land area to double since 1980, to 280.5 square miles as of June 30, 2006.

The City of Charlotte has a policy of systematically undertaking annexation every two years, culminating with an effective annexation date of June 30th of the odd-numbered years. The City completed an annexation on June 30, 2005, and will schedule completion of another annexation with a June 30, 2007 effective date. An area can qualify for annexation if it meets the prerequisites and one or more of the standards contained in the State annexation statutes (see a summary of the State annexation statute development requirements). "

This article is from 2000, so its pretty much old now. But it does state that the rapid growth from 1990-2000 is skewed due to annexation. With the influx of transplants coming into the area within the past 5 years, this is probably less true, but since Charlotte annexes land every 2 years, it's still likely skewed somewhat.

"Charlotte's rate of population growth in the 1990s ranks 23rd among U.S. cities with more than 100,000 residents, according to updated U.S. Census Bureau data.

The Queen City's 23rd-place ranking from among those 224 cities compares with 43rd place for Raleigh, 125th place for Greensboro and 175th place for Columbia -- which declined in population between 1990 and 1999, the report states.

However, local market experts agree that the bulk of the Charlotte's population growth during the past decade is primarily the result of aggressive annexation, rather than wholesale immigration to the city.

"I would say 70 to 75% may be attributed to annexation," says Bill McCoy, director of the Urban Institute at UNC Charlotte. "That's where the preponderance comes from."

McCoy also notes that population growth in the city's inner core is affected by higher-density residential development. Beyond areas such as South End and uptown, however, high-density residential development is statistically small, he says. "

To the OP: Sorry for getting your thread off track, but I believe someone else on the thread said it best. With the housing slump, people all around the country have harder times selling their own homes. If you can't sell your home, you can't really afford to buy a new home someplace else, so housing slumps tend to make people keep their current homes.

"Annexation is the methodical extension of a city's boundaries into adjacent unincorporated areas, and the corresponding extension of that city's services to the areas encompassed by the new boundaries. In North Carolina, annexation is governed by state statutes that allow cities and towns to annex adjacent areas, once those areas contain certain urban development characteristics (population density, subdivision of land into smaller lots, development intensity). Annexation has enabled Charlotte's land area to double since 1980, to 280.5 square miles as of June 30, 2006.

The City of Charlotte has a policy of systematically undertaking annexation every two years, culminating with an effective annexation date of June 30th of the odd-numbered years. The City completed an annexation on June 30, 2005, and will schedule completion of another annexation with a June 30, 2007 effective date. An area can qualify for annexation if it meets the prerequisites and one or more of the standards contained in the State annexation statutes (see a summary of the State annexation statute development requirements). "

This article is from 2000, so its pretty much old now. But it does state that the rapid growth from 1990-2000s are skewed due to annexation. With the influx of transplants coming into the area within the past 5 years, this is probably less true, but since Charlotte annexes land every 2 years, it's still likely skewed somewhat.

"Charlotte's rate of population growth in the 1990s ranks 23rd among U.S. cities with more than 100,000 residents, according to updated U.S. Census Bureau data.

The Queen City's 23rd-place ranking from among those 224 cities compares with 43rd place for Raleigh, 125th place for Greensboro and 175th place for Columbia -- which declined in population between 1990 and 1999, the report states.

However, local market experts agree that the bulk of the Charlotte's population growth during the past decade is primarily the result of aggressive annexation, rather than wholesale immigration to the city.

"I would say 70 to 75% may be attributed to annexation," says Bill McCoy, director of the Urban Institute at UNC Charlotte. "That's where the preponderance comes from."

McCoy also notes that population growth in the city's inner core is affected by higher-density residential development. Beyond areas such as South End and uptown, however, high-density residential development is statistically small, he says. "

To the OP: Sorry for getting your thread off track, but I believe someone else on the thread said it best. With the housing slump, people all around the country have harder times selling their own homes. If you can't sell your home, you can't really afford to buy a new home someplace else, so housing slumps tend to make people keep their current homes.

Thanks for the assist.

I think the growth will slow a bit, but until North Carolina is no longer considered a very affordable and job abundant state. The growth will still pour in from other areas. We're just going from record breaking growth to rapid growth.

He does have a point. Instead of you just saying "ask the government and professors", maybe you could bring up a link showing quotes, data, and statistics to defend your claims? That's how a debate operates.

No proof means no go.

He could say that there really are aliens in outer space! You can just ask the government, the Universities, and the Pentagon. Doesn't help much.

Ya'll are all missing the point - City Data is NOT a forum intended for debate. This is an INFORMATIONAL forum where people come to ask questions they need answers to, like our op. State your opinions but don't be so arrogant as to believe yours are the only ones that count. Then there will be no need for debate.

Ya'll are all missing the point - City Data is NOT a forum intended for debate. This is an INFORMATIONAL forum where people come to ask questions they need answers to, like our op. State your opinions but don't be so arrogant as to believe yours are the only ones that count. Then there will be no need for debate.

First of all, the question the OP asked is certainly debatable, and not a typical informational question. It's not like the OP was asking about needing help on relocation for him/herself or asking about various activities within the state.

Second of all, this is a message board, and yes, everyone has their opinion that should be respected. There is nothing wrong about debating two different EDUCATED opinions.

Just flinging out unsubstantiated material while claiming that the Government or the Universities agree with them while providing no proof, or mud-slinging insults and names at others because they don't agree with them, is when it gets out of hand and NOT what the forums are intended for.

First of all, the question the OP asked is certainly debatable, and not a typical informational question. It's not like the OP was asking about needing help on relocation for him/herself or asking about various activities within the state.

Second of all, this is a message board, and yes, everyone has their opinion that should be respected. There is nothing wrong about debating two different EDUCATED opinions.

Just flinging out unsubstantiated material while claiming that the Government or the Universities agree with them while providing no proof, or mud-slinging insults and names at others because they don't agree with them, is when it gets out of hand and NOT what the forums are intended for.

I noticed that several times ncisgreat tried to get the conversation back on track. I suspect he did not come back to provide any "proof" for his opinions because he saw this thing spiraling further into a debate and understands this is not the correct forum for that.

And the thing about data is that it is often skewered to fit the point a debator is trying to make. Personally, I don't need anyone to agree with me and am only presenting what I myself know and see from having lived here for decades. Anyone is free to disagree with me, though I do not appreciate being told my opinions are meant to "market" Charlotte when nothing could be further from the truth.

You are right, this is not the typical thread where someone can give a yes or no answer. And while a healthy debate can be a good thing - again I say THIS is not the forum for that activity.

I noticed that several times ncisgreat tried to get the conversation back on track. I suspect he did not come back to provide any "proof" for his opinions because he saw this thing spiraling further into a debate and understands this is not the correct forum for that.

And the thing about data is that it is often skewered to fit the point a debator is trying to make. Personally, I don't need anyone to agree with me and am only presenting what I myself know and see from having lived here for decades. Anyone is free to disagree with me, though I do not appreciate being told my opinions are meant to "market" Charlotte when nothing could be further from the truth.

You are right, this is not the typical thread where someone can give a yes or no answer. And while a healthy debate can be a good thing - again I say THIS is not the forum for that activity.

I agree with you. I don't live in the area, and have greatly appreciated the information I gathered from this particular forum.

One people brought up throughout these pages, is the one of "POOR PLANNING".

Quite honestly, I can't say that I have seen many cities in NC that doesn't have this "feature". Davidson maybe, they have controlled their growth some, and getting through that area is not a nightmare that Charlotte, Huntersville, and Mooresville is these days.

Having lived here all my life, I can say that the "70 people per day" moving here could sound "reasonabily accurate" based on having been here forever. Whether or not the statistics substationally support this via annexation or not, when you are part of it everyday, you can feel it.

I do not think that the fact that people are coming here in droves is slowing down yet, however. Kannapolis and Concords traffic growth has also been pretty intense the last few years.

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